Indicating device for motor-vehicles.



H. KRAMER.

INDIGATING ,DEVICE PoR MOTOR vBm'o-Ls. APPLICATION FI'LED APR.23.1914. y

Patented Jan. 12, 1915.

H. KRAMER. I INDIGATING DEVICE FOB MOTOR VEHICLES.

APPLICATION FILED PR.23.19144 4 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

daz/wes S es Patented Jan. 12,1915.

H.KRAMER. INDICATING DEVICE FOR MOTOR VEHICLES. APPLICATION FILED APR.23,1914. l 9 l 24,463. Patented Jan. 12, 1915.

' 4 SHEETS-SHEET 3.

xm@ f H. KRAMER.

INDICATING DEVICE FOR. MOTOR VEHICLES.

APPLICATION FILED APR.23.1914.

1,1 MA 1 Patented .1111. 12, 1915.

4 SHEETS-SHEET 4,

HERMAN" KRAMER, 0F NEW YORK, N. Y.

NIDSATING DEVECE FOB MOTOR-VEHICLES. y

Shihd.

Specification ai' Letters raient.

Application filed April 23, 1914i. Serial No. 833,870.

ffo all whom it 'may concern Be it Ilrnown that l, HERMAN KRAMER, a citizen of the United States of iamerica-,residing at New York city,- BronX county, State of New York, have invented certain -new and useful improvements in indicating Devices for Motor-Vehicles, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact 'description.l l A This invention relates to an indicating device for motor-vehicles, the particular ob@ ject being to provide a mechanism whereby the occupant of a motor-vehicle, particu- 1`arly of the limousine or closed type, can notify the chauffeur when he (the occupant) wishes to turn into a street to the right or left, that is to say, to notify the chauffeur that-he wishes to turn into the first., second, third or other street ahead; the device is also arranged to set a right or left turn signal at the rear of the vehicle simultaneously with notifying the chauffeur.

By means ofmy improved signaling device the occupant. of 'a closed motor-vehicle can notify the chanfienrif he desires to turn into a'street ahead without the necessity of leaning out oi' a door or window.

My improved device has advantages over the telephone systems used in closed vehicles,

for the reason that while the occupant of the rear of the vehicle is conversing with the chauffeur, the attention of the chauffeur is for the moment distracted.

My improved signaling device is a mute transmitter of the desire of the passenger.

My improved signaling device may be used on touring cars, as well as on closed cars. I

i will now proceed to describe my invention in detail, the novel features of `which I will point out in the appended claims, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming part hereof, wherein- Figure 1 is a top plan view of a toi'iring car having my improved signaling device applied thereto; Fig. Q is a rear `View of a car showing the tail signal casing; Fig.` 3 is a face view, partly in section, of the passengei"s switch, the cover of the casing being removed; i4: is an enlarged sectional view of a portion of said switch; Fig. 5 is an enlarged sectional plan view of a. portion of the switch, the vsection being taken on a line 55 in Fig. 3; 6 is an outside face view of the chauleurs indicator;

i' is a front view thereothe-cover, being removed; Fig. 8 is an enlarged fragmentary sectional plan view thereof, the section beingtalien on a line 8 8 in Fig. 7 Fig. 9 is a diagrammatic view of the wiring; Fig. 10 is an outside face view of the tail signal casing; Fig. lly is a front view thereof, the cover being removed; Fig. 12 is a fragmentary side view of the steering post and restoring switch casing; Fig. 13 is a sectional view thereof, the section being taken on a line 13-13 in Fig. 12, and Fig. 14 is an enlarged cross sectional view, the section being taken on a line let-14 in Fig. 11.

As before stated the device herein illustrated is for the purpose of enabling the passenger, in the rear of a motor-vehicle, to notify vthe chauffeur when he wishes to turn to the right or left into a street ahead, at the same time setting a similar signal at the rear of the vehicle, indicating to persons be hind in which direction the vehicle is turning or is about to turn. To carry out my in vention I place in the tonneau of a vehicle, indicated by A, a switch mechanism B. which is electrically connected to an indicating device C located (for instance) onv the dash-board 1 of the vehicle A, in such a position that thechanffeur will see it. In connection with the above mentioned switch and indicator l place an indicator or signal device D at they rear of the vehicle A (see Fig. Q), the with the switch the steering post 2, l place a restoring switch, generally indicated by E. By means of the switch B a passenger in the rear of the car can set a signal in the indicating device C which will notify the chauffeur that he, the passenger, wishes to turn to the right or left into a street ahead. A right or left signal will also be set. simultaneously with the setting of the indicator signal, in the signal-box at the rear of the vehicle.

The chanifenrs signal C consists of a suitable casing 8 (Figs. 6. 7 -and 8) having a front cover 4t provided with. openings 5, 6 and 7, preferably closed by a glass plate 8. At one side of the cover. I place the legend Street, the said legend being inline with the opening 7 at which the numeral which' indicates the street to be turned into` will appear. Upon the plates 8, in the openings 5 and 6, I print, paste, stamp. or otherwise apply, lthe letters L and R indicating right and left, the said letters being applied at: 'their corresponding sides of the'- casing.

Fatented Jan. i2, iii

said device .D being in circuit B and indicator C. Upon provided With'anarm 16,to'which is connected-.one end of a pair of springs 17 and 18. The springs 17 and 18 a'ct to restore the pointer to the neutral. position after thecircuit for the magnets 14- and 15 has been p broken.

The streetindications are applied to the peripheral surface of a drum 19 carried by a rotatable shaft 20, Which also carries a ratchet 21 having in engagement'therewith a ypavvl 22 carried by the bell-cranklever 23 l -pivotally supported by the .shaft "20. The

lever 23 is actuated by a solenoidor magnet 24 and its slidable core 25. To -restore the .drum to normal position after-it has been 4rotated by the magnet- 24 and connections, I employ a spring 26 which is connected to acablev 27 passing around alspool 28 on the shaft20. To hold the drum against the ten.

sion of the spring 26, while the pavvl 22 is being retracted by the spring 29, I employ a retainino' pawl 30 pivoted as at 31 to the casing 3. spring 32 keeps the paWl 30 in engagement with the ratchet 21.

As can be seen in Fig. 8, the pawls 22 and 30 are connected for simultaneous release, but the said connection does not interfere with the reciprocations of the pawl 22.` To

30 with a curved slot 33 in which a. pin 34 carried by the pawl 22 Will' reciprocate; hence the paWl 22 is free to come and go. To release the pavvls 22 and 30 I employ a magnet which acts upon the pawl 30 to draw it Vand the paWl 22 away from the ratchet 21. T he magnet 35 is operated byv a circuit Vwhich is independent of the circuits for the magnets for the signals. The circuit for the magnet 35 is indicated by thev Wires 36 and 37, Fi g. 9, the source of power, indicated by 38, being common to all of themagnets.

To control the circuit for the release magnet 35 I 'employ the cut-out switch mechanism E `When'the Wheel F (Fig. 1) is turned suiliv 55,

which' is mounted on the steering-post. of the vehicle or -in any Way operable .by the steering post. The magnet 35 vis normally out of circuit, it being p'lacedincircuit only ciently to turn a corner. The insulation 3.9, on the switch segment 40, Will be extensive enough to' permit the vehicle to beturned to the right orleft, to meet ordinary road requirements, with out closing the circuit for, @the magnet 35,'but when' the wheel F is turiel`suiiiciently` tdcause the Vvehicle to turn a corner, to 'the' right or left, the consegment'40. The magnet 35 Will then become excited andrelease the pawls 22 and function of the switch B.

. The switch B consists of a casing/42 caraccomplish this result,I providel the pawl 30. If the streetlindicator 19 is set at the` time the vehicle makes the turn, `the spring A cally restored as soon as the vehicle isl straightened, in its course after having` turned a corner. y To actuate the street indicator -19 and pointer 9, as' Well as the tail signal, 1s thel rying a rotatable rod 43 vv hich is also de pressible or longitudinallymovable, a han` dle 44 being provided to manipulate the rod 43. The rod 43 acts against the tension of a spring '45fboth when turned, or rotated, or when, depressed. Y Upon the rod -43 I place a block 46 of insulating material" which "carries a circuit-v closer 47, for the contacts 48 and 49, and a pair of circuit-closers 50 and 51 for the contacts 52, 53, 54 and 55. The contacts`48 and 49 are carried by a block 56 of insulating material carried by the casing42, While the contacts 52, 53, 54 and-55 are carried by a block 57 of insulating material, also carried by the casing 42.

`As Will be seen in'Fig. 9, the contacts 48` 4and 49 are in circuit With the street indicat-4 ing-magnet 24; hence When the rod 43 is depressed the circuit closer 47 Will bridge the magnet 59 of the tail signal. )Vhen 4the rod 43 'is turned to the right, the circuit closer 51 (Fig. 4) Will bridge the contacts, 52 and. 53, thereby completing the circuit for the magnets 15vand 58. When therod 43 is turned to the left the circuit closer. 50 will bridge the contacts 54 and 55, thereby closing the circuit for the magnets 14 and 59. wWhen the contacts 52 and l53 are bridged the pointer 9 WilLmove to the right pointing to the letter R, at'the same time 4the screen'60 of the tail signal Will moveto the left, uncovering the letter R atthe rear of the vehicle. When the rod 43 is turned to the left the magnets 14 and V59 Wil'l'be energized moving the -pointer to the. letter L and uncoveringthe letter AL at/the rear of the ve` lhicle. It will therefore be seen that the ma-y nipulatorof the switchB can set the signal bye likrtactaiatedby a lever 65 pifvotally tact arm41 (Fig. 13) vwill contact with thel mountedas at 66.4 The leieiY'G is oscillated to the right or left by the magnets 58 and 59, the said screens and lever being'returned at the rear of the vehicle and also notify the to the normal position after the circuit has been broken, by springs 67 and 68.

The letters L and R in the casing 69 of the rear signal are carried by glass plates 70 (Fig. 14) behind the screens 60 and 61 by which the plates are normally covered.v

In the casing 3 of the drivers signal and casing 69 of the rear signal I place electric lamps 7l and 72, respectively, ,which are in circuit with the lights of the vehicle. vVheni 'times and then turned right or left as the As soon as the rod is turned case may be.

sign will disappear at to normal the R or Il the rear, and the pointer will move to nor,-l

mal, but the street lindication will remain until the vehicle has turned intov thek street vand straightened inits course as has been described.

In order that the driver can operate lthe rear signal when alone in the vehicle or independently of :i passenger, a `switch G may be placed adjacent the driver as shown in Fig. l and which Ais also shown connected with the rear signal circuit shownin Fig. 9. The switch G is identical with the passenger switch B. l

Having now described my invention what I claim as new and desire to secure by Let'- ters Patent is:

1. A signal for motor-vehicles consisting of a street indicating device, means operable by a passenger of the vehicle adapted to set the signal for the street to be turned into, and means operable by the turning movement of the steering gear to automatically restore the signal.

Q; In a signal system for motor-vehicles, a plurallty of magnets, street and direction indicators operable by said magnets, a circuit or said magnets, a switch operable by a passenger of the vehicle adapted to close the circuit `for said magnets, means to hold the street indicator in set position, and

means operable by the turning movement of the steering' gear to automatically release the street indicator-holding means.

3. A signal system Jfor motcr-vehicles consisting of an indicator comprising a casing having applied thereto right and left indications, a pivoted pointer, electrical means to move said pointer to the right or left, a street indicating device on said casing, elec tricalvmeans to operate same, a circuit for aid pointer and street indicator, a switch adapted to close the circuit for said pointer and street indicator, said switch being adapted to iirst close the circuit for the street indicator and then the pointer, and means operable by the turning movement ci@ the steering gear of the vehicie to restore the street indicator to normal.

il. A signal for motor-vehicles consisting of a casing, an electrically controlled` pointer carried thereby to indicate a right or left tnrn, an electrically operated street indif trically operable means to actuate same, a

switch to set said street indicating device, an electrically operable device adapted to restore said indicating device to normal, a circuit for the same, and the steering gear of the vehicle in circuit with the circuit for the restoring device adapted to close said circuit during the turning movement of the steering gear.

6. In av motor vehicle, a steering post, a circuit closer carried thereby, consisting of a conducting material having a portion of its surface insulated, a contact normally resting on saidinsulated portion, a signal carried by the vehicle, means to set the signal, electrical means to restore the signal, and a circuit, includingthe circuit closer on the steering post and the restoring means, adapted to restore said signal at a predetermined point during the turning movement of the steering post.

Signed at New York city, day of April, i914.

'HERMAN KRAMER.

N. Y., this 21 IVitnesses:

Aerwann A. JARvis,

MAURICE BLOCK.

a switch carried by f 

